High-resolution dark-field confocal microscopy based on radially polarized illumination
Zijie Hua, Jian Liu, Chenguang Liu
Abstract
Dark-field confocal microscopy (DFCM) facilitates the 3D detection and localization of surface and subsurface defects in high-precision optical components. The spatial resolution of conventional DFCM is commonly undermined owing to complementary aperture detection. We employed a radially polarized (RP) beam for illumination in DFCM. The RP beam creates a sub-diffraction-sized longitudinal optical component after being focused and effectively enhances the lateral resolution by 30.33% from 610 nm to 425 nm. The resolution improvement was verified by imaging a 2D sample containing sparsely distributed gold nanorods along with a 3D neodymium glass containing surface and subsurface defects.
Topics & Concepts
OpticsMaterials scienceMicroscopyImage resolutionConfocal microscopyConfocalResolution (logic)Numerical apertureLight sheet fluorescence microscopyPoint spread functionLaser beamsNanorodMicroscopeScanning confocal electron microscopyBeam (structure)Optical microscopeLaserSuper-resolution microscopyAperture (computer memory)Near-field scanning optical microscopeDark field microscopySpatial frequencyRefractive indexOptical sectioningOptoelectronicsPolarization (electrochemistry)Light beamNear-Field Optical MicroscopyOptical Coatings and GratingsOptical Polarization and Ellipsometry